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I think Philly has a great shot, but are they really more affordable than Boston/DC? Aren't taxes in PA/Philly higher than places like DC?
Philly is generally recognized as offering a much better COL than Boston and DC. I used the first COL comparison tool that popped up on google and found that a person making $100K in Philly would need to make $170K in Boston and $159K in DC. This is the tool I used: Moderator cut: Link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. You know who these tools are. I'm sure they are not exact, and it depends where in these cities a person lives, but I think it gives some sense of just how more affordable Philly is when compared with Boston and DC.
As for taxes, Philly has an imposing wage tax of 3.89%. On the other hand, PA state income tax is a measly 3.07%. This equates to a total income tax burden of 6.96%. This compares with the following wage taxes in Boston and DC and its suburbs:
-Massachusetts: 5.1% (not clear if Boston levies a city tax)
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000.
-Maryland: 5.5 - 5.75%
-Virginia: 5.75%
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000 (8.95% at higher incomes)
As you can see, the total tax burden of living in Philly is markedly better than that in DC and not terribly out of line with the DC suburbs and Boston. Factor in the COL difference and Philly seems an easy choice.
Philly is generally recognized as offering a much better COL than Boston and DC. I used the first COL comparison tool that popped up on google and found that a person making $100K in Philly would need to make $170K in Boston and $159K in DC. This is the tool I used:Moderator cut: Link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. You know who these tools are. I'm sure they are not exact, and it depends where in these cities a person lives, but I think it gives some sense of just how more affordable Philly is when compared with Boston and DC.
As for taxes, Philly has an imposing wage tax of 3.89%. On the other hand, PA state income tax is a measly 3.07%. This equates to a total income tax burden of 6.96%. This compares with the following wage taxes in Boston and DC and its suburbs:
-Massachusetts: 5.1% (not clear if Boston levies a city tax)
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000.
-Maryland: 5.5 - 5.75%
-Virginia: 5.75%
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000 (8.95% at higher incomes)
As you can see, the total tax burden of living in Philly is markedly better than that in DC and not terribly out of line with the DC suburbs and Boston. Factor in the COL difference and Philly seems an easy choice.
Interesting. I didn't know the PA tax was that low. You always hear about the city Etax. So yea, the overall tax burden is not so bad.
Philly is generally recognized as offering a much better COL than Boston and DC. I used the first COL comparison tool that popped up on google and found that a person making $100K in Philly would need to make $170K in Boston and $159K in DC. This is the tool I used:Moderator cut: Link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. You know who these tools are. I'm sure they are not exact, and it depends where in these cities a person lives, but I think it gives some sense of just how more affordable Philly is when compared with Boston and DC.
As for taxes, Philly has an imposing wage tax of 3.89%. On the other hand, PA state income tax is a measly 3.07%. This equates to a total income tax burden of 6.96%. This compares with the following wage taxes in Boston and DC and its suburbs:
-Massachusetts: 5.1% (not clear if Boston levies a city tax)
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000.
-Maryland: 5.5 - 5.75%
-Virginia: 5.75%
-Washington, D.C.: 8.5% on taxable income between $60,001 and $350,000 (8.95% at higher incomes)
As you can see, the total tax burden of living in Philly is markedly better than that in DC and not terribly out of line with the DC suburbs and Boston. Factor in the COL difference and Philly seems an easy choice.
No city tax in Boston. Just a flat 5.1% income tax for Mass. Despite the stereotype MA has relatively low taxes for the Northeast.
Atlanta or Chicago as logistics hubs and major centers for all sorts of talent in their region seem perfect for Amazon. Memphis also has the busiest freight airport in the country but I don't think they have the talent.
Remember this isn't just a tech thing. HQs have sales, marketing, Finance, etc on top of the tech people.
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Baltimore, Philadelphia and St. Louis would make excellent left field picks, especially the first two. Unfortunately, I see Amazon as going with a trendy, booming city, so I'd be surprised if Austin or Washington don't win the nomination.
Remember this isn't just a tech thing. HQs have sales, marketing, Finance, etc on top of the tech people.
This is a great point that I think has gotten lost in the discussion. Amazon itself isn't exactly a tech company either. They're a retailer and deal in commerce more than anything. They're going to need everything from entry level sales associates to software engineers to corporate executives to accountants. Which cities can give you a rich talent pool is what's important, moreso than cost of living.
This is a great point that I think has gotten lost in the discussion. Amazon itself isn't exactly a tech company either. They're a retailer and deal in commerce more than anything. They're going to need everything from entry level sales associates to software engineers to corporate executives to accountants. Which cities can give you a rich talent pool is what's important, moreso than cost of living.
Nah, like stated earlier, people will go where the jobs are. Most Amazon employees in Seattle likely aren't from Seattle.
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